News

12 dead after explosion at Colombian mine

Published

5 years ago

August 25, 2021

Twelve miners have died in an explosion in a coal mine in the central Colombian department of Boyaca, President Ivan Duque tweeted on Tuesday night.

The blast happened on Tuesday morning at the mine in Topaga, some 220 kilometres north-east of Bogota.

Topaga’s Mayor, Henry Barrera had already confirmed 11 deaths and one miner missing.

There were, however, conflicting reports about how many workers were involved in the accident, with Colombia’s mining ministry saying eight had died, four missing and one injured.

Some local media also reported 14 miners were involved, while Colombia’s Civil Defence said that 12 miners were trapped and one was pulled out uninjured.

According to broadcaster Caracol, the miners were 500 metres deep when the blast which was sparked by a build-up of methane gas occurred.

“I am very saddened by what happened in Topaga, it is the most shocking mining tragedy that has occurred in Boyaca,” Gov. Ramiro Barragan said on Twitter.

“I want to send message of strength to the families of the miners who have sadly lost their lives and of the injured.’’

Serious accidents were frequent in Colombian mines, which often have poor safety standards.

Illegal mining in particular was a problem in several Latin American countries, however, authorities gave no indication that the mine in question was illegal.